Nicklas Lidstrom Retiring: Where Does He Rank Among All-Time Best Red Wings

With the rumors and reports that Nick Lidstrom will be retiring, it seemed like the right time to see where he ranks among the top Red Wings of all time.

The Detroit Red Wings are one of the greatest franchises not only in NHL history, but across the major sports.

They are third in Stanley Cup championships to Montreal and Toronto. Those two teams, along with the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and New York Yankees, are the only teams in the four major sports that have more championships that the Red Wings.

During that time, there have been many great players that have worn the winged wheel.

It is a who’s who list of hockey greats that includes Sergei Fedorov, Ted Lindsay, Terry Sawchuck, Brendan Shanahan, Norm Ullman, Red Kelly, Sid Abel and Alex Delvecchio, just to name a few.

That group alone would form an impressive Hall of Fame team to battle that of any other franchise.

As good as those players are, they cannot crack the top three spots.

Those belong to Gordie Howe, Nick Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman.

The argument could be made that these players could be 1A, 1B and 1C. Where is the fun in that?

No. 3: Steve Yzerman

While it is a difficult attribute to measure, rest assured that Yzerman is the reason the Red Wings have been the best franchise in the NHL over the past 20-plus years.

Early in his career he was a high scoring player. His 155 points in 1988-1989 has only been passed by two players—Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. He finished his career sixth in points, seventh in assists and eighth in goals all time.

As amazing as he was on the ice, his leadership skills are what set him apart.

It would be difficult to find a player of his caliber in any sport that would alter their game the way Yzerman did.

When Scotty Bowman arrived in Detroit to coach the team, he wanted Yzerman to focus on defense. That was a big turn for the superstar player, but he did it.

In fact, he took to the role so well that he became known as one of the best two-way players in the league. He cemented that by winning the Selke award.

His willingness to put the team first resonated with the entire locker room.

After dragging this franchise out of the “Dead Wing” era, he helped usher in the Stanley Cup era. He would raise the cup three times as a player, and helped set the groundwork for a fourth after he retired.